The Last Bus Home · Tutor Plan

Lesson aim

Evidence to collect

The learner follows a short adult narrative, distinguishes scene-setting from event sequence, and retells it using past simple and past continuous for meaning.

Language lens

Background in progress and completed events

Past continuous builds the scene or names an action already in progress. Past simple moves the story forward with a completed event that begins, changes, or interrupts the scene.

Suggested sequence

Timing

1. 3 min · Discuss a missed-transport experience.
2. 4 min · Read once for the solution and once for the event sequence.
3. 4 min · Complete comprehension and point to evidence.
4. 5 min · Contrast background and completed events.
5. 4 min · Analyze the decision and ending.
6. 4–6 min · Retell or write a new travel story.

Anticipated problems

Watch and respond

• The learner may overuse past continuous for every event because the whole story happened in the past.
• The learner may list events accurately but omit the reason Daniel changes his attitude.
• The safety discussion can drift away from language work, so return to evidence and conditional limits.

Short lesson

If time is limited

Read for gist, answer questions one and three, contrast two key tense examples, and finish with a six-sentence retelling.

Extended lesson

If the learner needs more

Tell the story from the woman’s viewpoint or replace the canceled train with a different interruption while preserving the tense contrast.